Plant DetailShow Menu

Plants that fill a similar niche:
Crataegus collina Form
Crataegus intricata Leaves & Branch in May in the Appalachian Tail, GA
Crataegus uniflora Plant
Crataegus douglasii has some common insect problems:
Lace Bugs
Crataegus douglasii has some common disease problems:
Cedar Apple Rust
Fire Blight

Aubepine Crataegus douglasii

Phonetic Spelling
krah-TEE-gus dug-LAS-ee-eye
Description

The genus, Crataegus, or Hawthorn, includes many different species and varieties that are distributed though out North America. Crataegus douglasii, or Douglass Hawthorn, is a large shrub or small tree, about 25 feet high, with long, straight thorns, dense clusters of white flowers, and bearing eadible fruit in the fall. It is native to wetlands, open moist places, meadows, and along streams in the Pacific Northwest.

Easy to grow, the Douglass Hawthorn prefers well-drained loam, but is not fussy. It can do well in moist soils, tolerates drought and heavy clay soils. For best fruit production, site the tree in full sun. The plant will grow in semi-shade, though fruit yields will be lower. When grown from seed, trees take 5 to 8 years before they start bearing fruit. The flowers have a smell somewhat like decaying fish, which attracts midges, the main means of fertilization. When freshly open, the flowers have a more pleasant scent. Over time, the plant will sucker to form a thicket; if necessary, you can control the plant with pruning in late winter.

Diseases, Insects, and Other Plant Problems:

Susceptible to cedar-hawthorn rust, cedar-quince rust, fireblight, fungal leaf spots, powdery mildew, cankers and apple scab are occasional problems. Insect pests include borers, caterpillars, lace bugs, leaf miners and scale.

See this plant in the following landscape:
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#pollinator plant#larval host plant#nectar plant late spring#butterfly friendly#nectar plant midspring#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#red-spotted purple butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#viceroy butterflies#wildlife friendly
 
Cultivars / Varieties:
Tags:
#pollinator plant#larval host plant#nectar plant late spring#butterfly friendly#nectar plant midspring#non-toxic for horses#non-toxic for dogs#non-toxic for cats#red-spotted purple butterfly#gray hairstreak butterfly#viceroy butterflies#wildlife friendly
  • Attributes:
    Genus:
    Crataegus
    Species:
    douglasii
    Family:
    Rosaceae
    Uses (Ethnobotany):
    Wood is strong, tough, hard, and heavy, but with little commercial value.
    Life Cycle:
    Perennial
    Woody
    Recommended Propagation Strategy:
    Grafting
    Seed
    Country Or Region Of Origin:
    North America
    Distribution:
    Alaska to Quebec south to Michigan, South Dakota, Nevada and California.
    Wildlife Value:
    This plant provides nectar for pollinators. It is a larval host plant for Gray Hairstreak (Strymon melinus), Red-spotted Purple (Limenitis arthemis astyanax), and Viceroy (Limenitis archippus). Red-spotted Purple and Viceroy rarely use this host plant in North Carolina. Provides protected nesting.
    Play Value:
    Attractive Flowers
    Edible fruit
    Wildlife Cover/Habitat
    Edibility:
    Fruit is edible raw or cooked. Pleasant flavor with a sweet and juicy succulent flesh. Desert fruit and used for making pies, preserves etc, and can be dried for later use.
    Dimensions:
    Height: 10 ft. 0 in. - 26 ft. 0 in.
    Width: 10 ft. 0 in. - 25 ft. 0 in.
  • Whole Plant Traits:
    Plant Type:
    Shrub
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Habit/Form:
    Dense
    Erect
    Multi-stemmed
    Growth Rate:
    Medium
    Maintenance:
    Medium
    Texture:
    Coarse
    Appendage:
    Thorns
  • Cultural Conditions:
    Light:
    Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)
    Partial Shade (Direct sunlight only part of the day, 2-6 hours)
    Soil Texture:
    Clay
    Loam (Silt)
    Sand
    Soil pH:
    Acid (<6.0)
    Alkaline (>8.0)
    Neutral (6.0-8.0)
    Soil Drainage:
    Good Drainage
    Moist
    USDA Plant Hardiness Zone:
    4a, 4b, 5a, 5b, 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b
  • Fruit:
    Fruit Color:
    Black
    Red/Burgundy
    Fruit Value To Gardener:
    Edible
    Display/Harvest Time:
    Fall
    Fruit Type:
    Drupe
    Fruit Length:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Width:
    < 1 inch
    Fruit Description:
    Flowers are followed by abundant, globular, red fruits (to 1/2 inch diameter) which ripen to black in late summer. Fruits are edible and usually drop to the ground in late fall, but may persist on the tree in a shriveled raisin-like form. Five fairly large seeds are found in the center of the fruit.
  • Flowers:
    Flower Color:
    White
    Flower Inflorescence:
    Corymb
    Flower Value To Gardener:
    Fragrant
    Showy
    Flower Bloom Time:
    Spring
    Flower Shape:
    Cup
    Flower Petals:
    4-5 petals/rays
    Flower Size:
    < 1 inch
    Flower Description:
    Fragrant, five-petaled, white flowers (to 1/2 inch diameter) with cup-shaped bases, blooms in flat-topped clusters (10-12 flowered corymbs) rising from the leaf axils and branch ends in mid to late spring. Flowers have an unpleasant fragrance which attracts pollinators such as midges and butterflies.
  • Leaves:
    Woody Plant Leaf Characteristics:
    Deciduous
    Leaf Color:
    Green
    Leaf Feel:
    Leathery
    Leaf Type:
    Simple
    Leaf Arrangement:
    Alternate
    Leaf Shape:
    Ovate
    Leaf Margin:
    Serrate
    Hairs Present:
    No
    Leaf Length:
    3-6 inches
    Leaf Description:
    Oval or wedge-shaped leaves, 2 to 3 inches long, and notched on the edges.
  • Bark:
    Bark Color:
    Dark Gray
    Bark Description:
    Thin bark that breaks up in to narrow scales on older stems.
  • Stem:
    Stem Color:
    Gray/Silver
    Red/Burgundy
    Stem Is Aromatic:
    No
    Stem Description:
    Branches are armed with thorns to 1 inch long.
  • Landscape:
    Landscape Location:
    Woodland
    Landscape Theme:
    Butterfly Garden
    Pollinator Garden
    Design Feature:
    Accent
    Flowering Tree
    Hedge
    Attracts:
    Butterflies
    Pollinators
    Songbirds
    Resistance To Challenges:
    Drought
    Pollution
    Wind